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Systems & Data Center · Foundational

Vim

A ubiquitous modal text editor on Linux, an improved version of vi, used for editing configuration files.

Definition

Vim has normal, insert and command-line modes. Essentials: i to insert, Esc to return to normal mode, :w to save, :q to quit, :wq or ZZ to save and quit, :q! to discard changes, / to search and dd to delete a line.

Example

vim /etc/hosts then :wq saves changes to the hosts file.

Exam tip

Know :q! discards changes; it is a common question on Linux Essentials and Linux+.

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